


Mamoritai

by siderealSandman



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrimi April, F/M, Lightsabers as Flirting, One-shot compilation, Rich Jocks in Love, Until You Like It, cross-posted from tumblr, every day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-02
Updated: 2018-05-02
Packaged: 2019-05-01 01:49:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 12,919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14509836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/siderealSandman/pseuds/siderealSandman
Summary: Adrien Agreste’s style was singularly reckless, cocky, and committed to victory. He committed to every strike, hedged his bets on nothing but his own skill, and threw himself headlong into every challenge.How no one besides Kagami had deduced that he was Chat Noir was completely beyond her.





	1. Chapter 1

Fencing is as much art as it is martial. **  
**

This was a philosophy that Kagami had learned even before she was old enough to start practicing the family art. No matter how deadly the craft or how skilled the practitioner, swordplay was as much an expression of a person’s soul as painting or music. There was poetry in the ring of steel on steel, written by masters whose bodies molded the prose of combat in their own unique ways.

Her mother turned her hips a quarter degree farther than her father on each high thrust. Her father compensated for his shorter reach with a more aggressive lunge. Kagami herself was more conservative; exploiting mistakes instead of creating openings. Sooner or later, the flaws in her opponent’s style would present themselves to her, and she would exploit them to secure a victory.

But her style was flawed as all art is flawed, no matter how lovely.

Adrien Agreste had a singularly beautiful style. Mechanically almost as perfect as hers, but where Kagami exploited openings, Adrien created them. When she deflected, Adrien counterattacked. He stepped in heedless of the foil’s tip, concerned with securing victory more than he was concerned with protecting himself.

He was, in a word, reckless; as reckless as she was careful. Every move he made was born out of the desire to win at any cost to himself from the way he over extended his lunges to the way he took every opportunity to counterattack where more prudent fencers might try and draw out their opponent’s weaknesses.

Kagami’s brow furrowed as she watched Adrien’s hips twist farther than they should, his arm extending past the point of caution. At first, she thought she had imagined it; thought that years of academic interest in fencing was, for once mistaken. Then Adrien smirked, blonde hair falling in his eyes as he dove headlong at his opponent.

There was absolutely no mistaking it.

The weapons might have been different, and the security camera footage was hardly the best, but Kagami knew the nuances of a person’s fighting style; knew how they expressed themselves through combat. Every fencer had a hallmark; a signature they affixed to every battle with the tip of their blade. No two fencers fought the same; Kagami’s ripostes were second to none, her mother’s strikes were more Flemish than Italian, and her grandfather’s kendo lessons shone through every thrust of her father’s foil.

Adrien Agreste’s style was singularly reckless, cocky, and committed to victory. He committed to every strike, hedged his bets on nothing but his own skill, and threw himself headlong into every challenge.

How no one had deduced that he was Chat Noir was completely beyond her.


	2. Chapter 2

Chat Noir rounded the corner, baton drawn, to see Tsurugi Kagami calmly polishing a naked saber and standing on a pile of formerly sentient mannequins. 

“Good afternoon,” Kagami said softly, wrist snapping out and decapitating a mannequin that lunged for her before Chat could raise his baton. “Am I to understand that this is the work of the moth-man?” 

“I…y-yeah, a department store employee just got off a ten hour shift I think,” Chat Noir said, stepping over a pile of mannequin arms with a wrinkled nose. “You shouldn’t be here; it’s not safe.” 

“Clearly,” Kagami sniffed, holding the antique sword up to the light before carefully replacing it in its sheath and placing it gently on the rack of weapons behind her. “Though it seems few places in Paris are safe these days with Mothman afoot.” 

“He prefers Hawkmoth,” Chat chuckled, shouldering his baton as he stepped in front of the carefully curated collection of cutlery. 

“I prefer not to be attacked on my days off by costumed maniacs,” Kagami said coolly. 

“You and me both,” Chat said, squinting at the embroidered scabbard. “Though I guess I’d rather get mobbed in a museum with a collection of szabla than anywhere else.” 

“ _Karabela,”_ Kagami said before she could stop herself. Her face burned as Chat glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. “I…you’re not wrong; it is a  _szbala_ but the raptor shaped hilt and open crossguard identify it as a  _karabela_ as well.”

“Someone likes swords.” 

“I could say the same of you,“ Kagami replied, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. “Though I could expect nothing less of Armand D’Argencourt’s star pupil…”

Chat Noir stiffened, eyes widening ever so slightly as Chat Noir’s baton flashed green. 

“Seems your partner is calling,” Kagami said with a small smile, nodding towards the door and basking in the astonished look on Chat Noir’s face. “I can take care of myself from here.” 

He looked torn between wanting to go and wanting to spend the next five minutes coming up with vehement excuses. But a second chirp from his baton seemed to send him stumbling him back towards the door, eyes trained on her until he rounded the corner, padded feet echoing down the hallway. 

“Reckless,” Kagami clucked, turning as another pair of mannequins shambled into the museum exhibit, eyeless faces turning in her direction. 

“Alright,” Kagami sighed, plucking the saber off the rack. “I suppose I could use a little more practice.” 


	3. Chapter 3

“How did you know?” 

Kagami took a sip of her cider, swirling it around her mouth as the sounds of the party carried on in the other room. Amid their upwardly mobile, affluent parents, the children of the rich and famous were expected to politely stay out of their parents’ ways and socialize with other trust fund children. It wasn’t hard to find a quiet corner of Le Grand Paris; a secluded balcony provided a getaway from prying and curious eyes. 

“Not even going to deny it?” Kagami asked, raising her eyebrow. 

“I gave myself away,” Adrien said, throat bobbing as he swallowed painfully. “I need to know how so I can’t do it again.” 

“I doubt anyone else would pick up on it,” Kagami shrugged, swirling her cider around aimlessly as she looked out over the city. “Unless Mothman happens to be a fencing enthusiast as well.” 

“He prefers…you know, never mind,” Adrien sighed, leaning against the balcony next to her. 

“…you really want to know?” Kagami asked quietly. Adrien turned to see Kagami regarding him through a narrow gaze. “You are reckless.” 

“Pardon?” 

“Your fighting style is uniquely reckless,” Kagami continued. “You win because you are faster and more accurate than your opponents; you bank on your speed and maneuverability more than anyone else I’ve ever fought.” 

“Isn’t that what fencing is?” Adrien challenged. “Speed and maneuverability?” 

“Yes, but…” Kagami chewed her lower lip thoughtfully. “You never entertain the idea that your opponent can outfight you. I could tell when we fought you…you were so focused on landing a decisive blow, you left yourself open to counterattack.”

“O…kay?” Adrien said. “I’ll keep that in mind for my next match, but I don’t see what that has to do with-” 

“It’s the same with Chat Noir,” Kagami said, voice dropping so low he had to lean in to hear her over the music inside. “You…attack and attack and attack in much the same way. It’s…it’s reckless.” 

“It…works though,” Adrien said, suddenly defensive. “We haven’t lost a single fight…my partner and me, I mean. Every akuma we’ve fought against, we’ve beaten.” 

“At what cost?” Kagami asked quietly. “I may be new to this city but after…after Riposte, I spoke with Ms. Cesaire. You do not always escape unscathed, do you?” 

Adrien seemed to stiffen, averting Kagami’s probing gaze. 

“Is victory really worth your own safety?” Kagami asked. 

“Yes,” Adrien said quietly. “If it means she…if Ladybug is safe, we can still win.” 

“You have that much faith in her,” Kagami said, studying Adrien’s expression. It wasn’t a question; he was either suicidal in his bravery or had unwavering faith in his partner. “Does she feel the same about you?” 

Adrien was quiet for a long time, staring into the flickering cityscape beneath him. 

“She trusts me…and cares about me,” Adrien said slowly, as though forcing something unpleasant out of his throat. “But…not in the same way.” 

The way Alya had spoken of Chat Noir and Ladybug, one would think Paris’ superhero team were partners in more than just crime-fighting. Alya would no doubt pay a king’s ransom to break the news that “LadyNoir” would never come to fruition, if Adrien was to be believed. 

“Pity,” Kagami said with a small shrug. “I’m sure there are plenty of girls who would gladly let Paris’ bravest wear their favors.” 

“Thought I was the most reckless?” Adrien laughed, shaking his head. 

“You are,” Kagami said with a small chuckle. “But still…I have never faced someone who was so brazenly…fearless. I am so used to fighting more…conservative fencers. I confess that fighting you was-” 

_The tip of Adrien’s foil sailed past her ear, barely parried by her guard. Her heart thudded in her ear as for the first time in a very long time, Kagami felt the thrill of the possibility of failure._

_“_ -breathtaking.” 


	4. Chapter 4

The comparisons between Kagami and Ladybug came quickly, and then dropped off almost entirely once Adrien got to know her. **  
**

To say she was graceful would be an understatement; Kagami seemed to be in complete command of every part of her body at all times. She never seemed to make a move that was accidental or unintentional; from the way she walked to the way she ate to the way she tied her shoes, her actions possessed an uncanny grace Adrien usually only saw on his nightly jaunts with Ladybug.

But grace, blue hair, and penchant for red were where the comparisons seemed to stop.

There was a weight to Kagami that Ladybug seemed to lack. She was quiet unless she had something to say, and then said it in the most direct and unflinchingly honest way imaginable. She couched nothing in double-meaning or wit and always seemed to let Adrien’s jokes roll off her with a smile and quick roll of her eyes.

But the most stark difference between Ladybug and Kagami was how she actually, genuinely looked at him. When he spoke to her, her eyes turned to him and held his gaze as he talked, not turning away or even really blinking all that much until he was done. Even then, she seemed reluctant to turn away, taking a moment to weigh him with her gaze.

“Does she always stare at you like that?” Nino had asked in a hushed tone when Kagami had left the table. “She was eyeing you all night long, man.”

“She’s just…attentive,” Adrien reasoned, watching Kagami balance a tray of milkshakes effortlessly on the palm of one hand.

“I think she’s dissecting you with her eyes, bro,” Nino chuckled.

Dissecting was the wrong word; too clinical, too careless. Kagami’s eyes seemed to take great pleasure in unraveling each of Adrien’s layers in turn, curious as to what she might find if she got to the center. Learning he was Chat Noir was one thing; she wanted to know what it was at the core of Chat Noir that made him tick the way he did.

Across the restaurant, her eyes flickered to his as she walked back towards the table and Adrien felt his throat tighten ever so slightly as her eyes held his every step of the way. It was almost challenging; as though she dared him to break their staring contest and look away from her.

But her eyes were hooks that snared his whenever she decided to glance his way; he couldn’t look away, even if he wanted to. 

And he wasn’t even sure he wanted to anymore.


	5. Chapter 5

“I cannot even begin to tell you why what you just said made zero sense.” 

The blooming friendship between Adrien and Kagami had hit something of a snag. 

“You  _seriously_ think the lightsaber fight at the end of Episode Three was better than the fight at the end of Episode Seven?” Kagami said, eyebrow raising in Adrien’s direction as Finn froze on the massive television in Adrien’s room, lightsaber held aloft and ready to strike. 

“Um, duh?” Adrien laughed, popping a piece of popcorn in his mouth. “In terms of acrobatics and overall wow factor? There’s no comparison.” 

“Agreed; there  _is_ no comparison,” Kagami sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. 

“You can’t tell me it wasn’t impressive the first time you saw it,” Adrien said, sitting up defensively. 

“It was a  _video game_ ,” Kagami said coolly, pressing play as she sank back into the sofa. “ _This_ is art; actual, real-life people telling a story through staged combat without…pointless special effects getting in the way.” 

“There is not a  _single_ backflip in this entire fight,” Adrien mumbled. 

“Are you actually seven?” Kagami said, pausing the fight again to properly glare at Adrien. “I feel like you may be an exceptionally tall seven year old who likes backflips and Transformers still.” 

“What’s wrong with Transformers?” 

“Why would  _anyone_ in this scene do a backflip?” Kagami continued, shaking her head incredulously. “You have a man who just murdered his father in cold blood looking to vent, oh, twenty-years of barely repressed anger on a convenient personification of betrayal and a woman who supplanted him as Han Solo’s favorite child. Meanwhile, you have Finn fighting against an embodiment of his oppressors who just flung his friend across the forest like a rag doll! Finally, Rey is fighting to defend an injured Finn and avenge Han Solo so where, pray tell, is a good moment for a  _backflip?_ Why would it make sense for  _anyone_ in this scene to do a  _backflip?”_

Kagami panted as Adrien’s stoic expression melted in a broad, shit-eating grin. 

“…you’re messing with me, aren’t you?” 

“A little, but I think  _one_ backflip wouldn’t be out of- _ooph!”_ Adrien toppled back as Kagami pegged him in the face with a throw pillow. 


	6. Chapter 6

Wind ruffled Kagami’s hair as she stepped on to the roof of the building. In front of her, Adrien’s back was illuminated by the city lights below, hands clasped in front of him out of her sight. 

“Adrien?” Kagami called out. “Is that you?” 

Adrien was silent for a long moment before turning to face her, face hard and unreadable for the first time since Kagami met him. 

“Why did you call me up here?” Kagami asked, shouldering her gym bag with a skeptical frown. 

“I told Ladybug that you knew who I was,” Adrien called over the rushing wind. “She knows everything…”

“I don’t care about your partner,” Kagami said, shaking her head. “What does it matter what she knows? Your secret is safe with me.” 

“It would be safer…if you were out of the picture,” Adrien said, hands clutching at something behind his back. 

“You…you can’t mean that,” Kagami said, clutching her bag as Adrien brought his weapon in front of her. 

“I’m sorry, Kagami…it has to be like this.” 

Green light illuminated Adrien’s face as his lightsaber glowed to life, a low buzzing sound filling the air. 

“I see…well then.” Kagami’s hand dove into her fencing bag, withdrawing a glowing red lightsaber which she angled at Adrien. “Silence me…if you can.”

* * *

Panting, Adrien leaned on the edge of the roof, custom prop lightsaber hanging limply at his side. Despite the cold air, they were sweating, stripped down to undershirts and jeans midway through their climactic duel. 

“Best three hundred euros I’ve ever spent,” Adrien panted, running a hand through his sweaty hair. 

“I am sorry I ever doubted you,” Kagami said, a wide, toothy grin illuminated by the red hum of her lightsaber beneath her. 

“Told you backflips would work,” Adrien sing-songed. 

“I seem to remember  _someone_ getting struck in the back after flipping over my head,” Kagami retorted, smacking his back with the tip of her lightsaber. “You are  _impressive_ but you are hardly a master yet.” 

“Guess that means we’re going to have to keep practicing,” Adrien said, grabbing the corner of his t-shirt and using it to wipe sweat off his brow. He turned just as Kagami was doing the same, toned stomach laid bare as she dabbed her forehead with her shirt. She glanced in his direction, eyes lingering on his own stomach as she seemed to get distracted from toweling her face off. 

They froze for a split second, before hastily pulling their shirts down with a nervous chuckle. 

“I…would like that,” Kagami coughed. 

“Y-Yeah, me too,” Adrien said, glad that the glow from Kagami’s lightsaber hid his burning cheeks. 


	7. Chapter 7

“Goto-san tells me you have been spending time with Gabriel Agreste’s son.” 

Kagami stopped cutting her meat and glance at her family’s valet who had the decency to look apologetic. Across the expansive mahogany table, Tsurugi Tomoko regarded her daughter over the rims of her thin silver reading glasses. 

“His chauffeur occasionally drives me home after fencing practice,” Kagami said as her mothers cool cerulean gaze bore holes into her. “A-And we have spent some time together at his father’s house. Supervised, of course.” 

“Indeed,” Tomoko said, taking a sip of her coffee as a chilly silence filled the dining room. Kagami could never tell with her mother if she was being interrogated or not; Tomoko had the unnerving ability to make every interaction feel like a lecture waiting to happen. 

“You would do well to foster this relationship,” Tomoko continued after a moment. “He comes from an impeccably prestigious family and M. D’argencourt seems to think he has potential. Skilled enough, I hear, to defeat you.” 

“Yes, mother,” Kagami nodded, poking her meat disinterestedly. Wealth and skill with a sword were the two entry fees to the Tsurugi family. Tomoko herself was an accomplished national champion before her grandfather even let his son  _consider_ proposing to her, to say nothing of the fact that their family had been minor nobility for most of recorded history. 

“I can think of worse suitors for your hand,” Tomoko continued, ignoring the way her daughter’s lips twisted almost imperceptibly. “This is not a question I will allow you to avoid answering for very much longer, Kagami.”

“Yes, mother,” Kagami replied, careful not to let too much discomfort show. 

“Other girls are free to do as they please, but being part of a great family carries with it responsibilities,” Tomoko said, scrutinizing her daughter over the rim of her cup. “The continuation of our family is  _your_ responsibility; you can either take authorship of your destiny or allow your father and I procure a suitable match.” 

“Either way, I will see you engaged before your eighteenth birthday,” Tomoko concluded, rising from the table as Goto pulled her chair out. “To someone of your choosing…or ours.” 

“…yes, Mother,” Kagami said, letting out a held breath as the front door closed down the hall. 

This was not a new conversation; Tomoko had been trying to procure her daughter a suitable engagement since before she was even born. Candidate after candidate had presented themselves to her, few trying to make an impression on her. Their lackluster swordsmanship meant she could routinely humiliate them into withdrawing the arrangement. 

Her hand drifted to the spot Adrien’s foil had touched her the day before. If offered her hand in marriage…would Adrien fight her for it? And if he won…well, her mother was right about one thing. 

He certainly wasn’t the worst option. 


	8. Chapter 8

“So…you come here often?” 

Kagami had not planned to spend her Friday evening crammed in a closet with Adrien, his tiny cat fairy, and the persistent smell of Camembert smothering her, but one minute Chat Noir was running up to her, saying something about “powers” and “need to hide” and the next she had tugged him into a broom cupboard and slammed the door behind them. 

“How long does it take for your powers to come back?” Kagami said, nose wrinkled as the small cat crammed a wheel of cheese in his mouth. 

“Plagg’s gotta fill up first,” Adrien said, holding his nose. “Oh…right; Plagg, Kagami. Kagami, Plagg.” 

“Chrmd!” Plagg said, cheese curds spilling out of his (did cat spirits have genders?) mouth. 

“Pleasure,” Kagami sighed, head resting against the back of the narrow closet. Any confusing, conflicting emotions she might have had about being trapped in such close proximity with Adrien were immediately killed by the smell of rancid cheese breath murdering any tension that might have been. 

“Does Ladybug also have a smelly cheese goblin that gives her superpowers?” Kagami asked, earning a chuckle from Adrien and an indignant squawk from Plagg. 

“I…don’t know,” Adrien said, fidgeting with his hands behind his back. “Never really talked about it, to be honest.” 

“Do you two ever talk about anything that isn’t directly related to the safety of Paris?” 

Silence. 

“It’s…safer if we don’t know all that much about each other,” Adrien laughed, avoiding her gaze in the nearly dark closet. “It’s not our choice, but…” 

“…that’s sad,” Kagami murmured. 

“It’s alright,” Adrien assured her. 

“No…it isn’t,” Kagami said quietly, fingers tensing as she fought to keep them at her side. She was struck, not for the first time, how lonely their lives must have been. To know and not know someone they were expected to trust implicitly. 

“Okay, I think we can get back at it, right Plagg?” Adrien asked, cracking the door open and poking his head out into the hallway. “Oh, hey Alya!” 

“Adrien? What are you doing here?! Ladybug is fighting some giant fruit fly akuma and-”

“Wow is that the time? I-I-I got a…thing…to do…at home,” Adrien said, brushing past Alya and leaving Kagami standing in the cupboard, disheveled and red faced as Adrien dashed down the hallway for a safe place to transform. 

Alya’s eyes trailed from Adrien’s back to Kagami’s face, widening ever so slightly. “Um…what were you two doing in-” 

“I…thing…I also…a thing at…my…living space…now…not here…” Kagami babbled, brushing past Alya as she tore down the hall away from the impending akuma battle and Alya’s questioning gaze. 


	9. Chapter 9

“I feel as though I’ve done something to offend you.”

The silence lingering between Alya and Kagami broke as Alya glanced up from her textbook to see Kagami staring at her expectantly.

“Nope,” Alya said brusquely, returning her attention to her book. “We’re solid.”

“Which is why you haven’t spoken to me in two weeks,” Kagami said, raising an eyebrow.

Alya took off her glasses, pinching the bridge of her nose as she closed her textbook. “It had to be Adrien, huh?”

“Excuse me?”

“Pretty, rich, talented girl like you could have her pick,” Alya snorted humorlessly, shaking her head. “But it had to be Adrien, didn’t it?”

“I’m sorry?”

“It’s just that you and him have been pretty cozy lately, haven’t you?” Alya said, crossing her arms.

“We’re friendly,” Kagami shrugged. “Is…that a problem?”

“…you know what, it’s nothing,” Alya said, cracking her book open again. “Do what you want.”

Kagami stared at Alya for a long moment before she collided with the obvious. “…ah.”

“Ah,” Alya parroted, looking over the rim of her glasses.

“Did Marinette ask you to-”

“No, and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t say anything about it,” Alya said, glancing around the library to see if anyone was listening. “It’s just…she’s been working hard, y’know? It’s been a year since she’s known him and she’s just starting to make progress when you come in and-”

“What, exactly?” Kagami asked coolly.

Alya opened her mouth, fumbling for the right words for a few seconds before speaking. “I just…you’re not the only girl who’s had her sights set on Adrien…you’re just the first one he seems to like. And not…not in the same way he likes Marinette.”

Kagami’s jaw tightened, straightening up in her seat. “…and why is that my fault?”

Alya opened her mouth to retort but Kagami blundered on, heart pounding in her ears. “If Marinette had such strong feelings for him, she should have said something.”

“She’s going to!” Alya insisted. “Eventually! She just needs-”

“What?” Kagami asked, shaking her head. “She’s had…a year, you say? With your support and the support of the rest of the class, it seems, what more does she need to get closer to Adrien? She doesn’t come out with Adrien and I when he invites her, or make any real effort to talk to him on a daily basis…so why am  **I**  the bad person for actually trying to get closer to him?”

“You’re not!” Alya said, holding her hands up. “You’re just…”

“…inconvenient,” Kagami finished, sweeping her books into her bag and rising from the table.

“Kagami, wait,” Alya said, rising to go after her only to stop dead as Kagami whirled around.

“Adrien and I are friends,” Kagami said in a firm, quiet voice that quavered only slightly. “I don’t have any ‘sights’ set on him at the moment, but even if I did, it’s not my or Chloe’s or Lila’s fault that Adrien hasn’t fallen head-over-heels in love with Marinette.”

Alya blinked owlishly as Kagami flushed pink, shaking her head and brushing past Alya.

“You’re a good friend,” Kagami mumbled as she passed, eager to leave the suddenly stifling library.

As Kagami stepped into the warm summer evening, she wondered how, despite Chloe and Lila making their affections for Adrien known publicly on a daily basis, Alya had signaled her out as Marinette’s main competition in a game she didn’t even know she was playing.

“Hey!” Chloe voice called out as she stepped out of the library, keeping stride with Kagami as she walked down the sidewalk towards the car that was waiting for her. “I need to talk to you!”

“If it’s about Adrien, then you should know that I intend to marry him and have his children and there isn’t a thing in the world you can do to prevent it because he is, as we speak, my willing and obedient love slave,” Kagami said in a dry, flat tone that nevertheless stopped Chloe dead in her tracks long enough for Kagami to reach her car.


	10. Chapter 10

“I feel like it’s better if I just…keep it to myself for the rest of my natural life.” 

Kagami idly blew bubbles in her tea, staring at the screen with a kind of unfocused gaze as a tall, shirtless man walked through a darkened antique store, katana at the ready, moonlight glistening on his abs. 

She don’t know what prompted Adrien to put on such a schlocky series, or what prompted him to confess the fact that Adrien Paul was the first guy he ever had a crush on. But what was shaping up to be a fairly ordinary Saturday after-fencing hangout had morphed into something decidedly more revealing. 

“Not even if you meet a boy you like?” Kagami murmured as a significantly uglier man in a mask attacked the katana wielding Scotsman while his buxom French girlfriend looked on in confusion. She could, in a sense, sympathize with Therese; another ordinary woman sucked into a world where crazies in masks fought in secret. 

“…maybe,” Adrien shrugged. “But…something tells me Father would make that hard. I mean…I’d like to say I’d do anything for love, but…” 

“It’s easier to do anything for love if it means loving a woman,” Kagami surmised, chewing her bottom lip. “You don’t have quite as many options as one would think you do… 

“Yeah…” Adrien nodded, watching Adrien Paul shirtlessly save his sad French girlfriend. “I guess I’ll…cross that bridge if I get to it, huh?” 

“Mm…” Kagami murmured, thinking for a long moment. “Shinohara Ryoko”

“Pardon?” 

“While we’re on the topic of celebrity crushes…she was the lead on this show called  _Anego_ I used to watch in secret,” Kagami continued. “I used to borrow our old housekeeper’s laptop to watch it; one my parents didn’t track or monitor.” 

Kagami downed the rest of her drink as Adrien turned his attention from the mildly exciting swordfight on screen. 

“She was…real in ways I had never seen before,” Kagami murmured, breath fogging up her icy glass. “Frail and messy and…human. I suppose that’s what made her beautiful to me…”

“Did you cut out pictures and paste them to your wall?” Adrien chuckled. 

“Mother thought I did it for beauty tips,” Kagami said, leaning back with a distant look in her eye. “I guess in some way she was right…I don’t think I knew what beautiful was until I saw her for the first time.” 

“She was the one who let you knew that you liked-”

“Both,” Kagami nodded, taking a deep breath and letting it out through her teeth. Her heart was thudding in her chest, released by speaking something she hadn’t told a single soul. 

“I will say, she’s a sight prettier than your  _gaikokujin samurai_ over here,” Kagami chuckled. 

“Please,” Adrien snorted, tossing a kernel of popcorn at her head that she deftly plucked out of the air. “He’s dreamy and you know it.” 


	11. Chapter 11

As she stepped out of the bathroom, running her fingers through her wet, spiky hair, Kagami knew that there was someone (or something) perched on the terrace outside. ****

Her hands closed around a heavy wooden practice sword that leaned lazily against her dresser, gripping the plastic handwraps as she crept towards the sliding glass doors. The thought of calling Goto crossed her mind, but Kagami chose to step into the cool night air alone, keeping her back to her bedroom in case she had to run.

“You have five seconds to reveal yourself before I call the police,” Kagami announced to the open air around her. “One…two…three…four…”

Kagami sighed as no one showed themselves, reaching into her pocket and pulling her cell phone out. She mimed dialing a number and held the deactivated phone up to her ear. “Hello, police? There seems to be an intruder at 157-”

“Okay, okay!” A voice called from above her. A familiar black and red clas figure dropped off the roof, holding her hands up imploringly. “It’s me! Just me! N-No need to get the police involved, right?”

“Depends,” Kagami said, pocketing her phone. “On why you’re on my balcony at nine at night.”

“Yeah this seems…creepy, right?” Ladybug laughed, scratching the back of her arm. “Not my intention at all; I just…”

Ladybug took a deep breath, and Kagami was struck by how young she seemed. The way Adrien had talked about her, one could be forgiven for thinking Ladybug was the sole reason Paris was not a smoking pile of rubble by now. It was easy to forget that Ladybug  was, likely, only as old as she was.

“Chat Noir and I talked earlier,” Ladybug said, chewing on her lower lip.

“I would hope so,” Kagami said, raising an eyebrow.

“He said that…you figured out who he was and I…” Ladybug straightened up. “I was on my way home and I saw your lights on.” 

“…I’m glad he said something,” Kagami nodded, leaning her practice sword against the dresser again. “So…you’re here to kill me then?”

“Wh-what?!” Ladybug stammered. 

“Well, it’s the most sensible solution; can’t exactly disclose his identity if I’m dead as a door nail.” 

“N-No, you’ve got the wrong idea! I just wanted to-”

“That was a joke,” Kagami sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “I was trying to lighten the mood, but it appears I’m not terribly good at that. Would you like to sit? I can have some tea sent up if you’d like.”

“Thanks, but…I’m good,” Ladybug said, glancing around nervously. Her eyes fell on the vanity and the picture pinned to the corner. The “surprise champion selfie” had been taken by Adrien following their last successful fencing meet and featured a beaming Adrien pulling a bewildered and disheveled Kagami into a one armed hug following her successful bracket win. Adrien had deposited a printed copy in her locker after school, his neat cursive printing “Future World Champions!!” in black sharpie at the bottom. He had insisted on signing the bottom with her so that “future eBay scalpers can sell it to a sports museum for big big money.”

Ladybug’s mouth twisted ever so slightly and Kagami didn’t fail to take notice of it.

“You have to know that it was not his fault I discovered his identity,” Kagami said, drawing Ladybug’s attention back to the topic at hand.

“He said as much,” Ladybug sighed, hands clasped in front of her. “But…”

“You wanted to be sure he was telling the truth,” Kagami said.

“You have to understand that he has always been Team Let’s Tell Each Other Everything,” Ladybug continued quickly. “It’s not that I don’t trust him; it’s…”

Ladybug sighed, fidgeting with her fingers. “He’s been different lately…things between us haven’t been as…tight as they used to be.”

“…you told him you didn’t fancy him,” Kagami said softly as Ladybug’s eyes widened in surprise. “He told me about it.“ 

“Well…that’s true,” Ladybug said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “He didn’t seem upset at the time, but I feel like he hasn’t exactly been forward with me lately.” 

“Maybe he needs space,” Kagami suggested, wondering how she got roped into being the relationship counselor for a superhero duo. “Time to…reset your relationship.”

“Maybe…” Ladybug said, glancing at Kagami. “How long have you known?” 

“Two months,” Kagami shrugged. “When did he tell you?”

“Tonight,” Ladybug sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Sorry, I just…I don’t like having secrets kept from me.” 

“I thought you needed to keep as much of your lives secret as possible,” Kagami countered, raising an eyebrow. 

“…I don’t have to  _like_ that,” Ladybug muttered, glancing at Kagami curiously. “Are you two…close?” 

“Close enough that you shouldn’t be worried that I’d betray him,” Kagami said carefully. “If that’s what you’re concerned about.”

“Well that’s…good,” Ladybug said with a nod and somewhat shaky smile. “Will you let me know if there’s anything going on with him?”

“…if it affects your partnership or safety, yes,” Kagami said after a moment’s thought. “After all, the less you know about one another, the better, right?”

“…right,” Ladybug said, as though she were trying to convince herself more than Kagami. “Well, I’ll let you get back to…your life. Thanks for indulging me…”

“Thanks for purifying my body and releasing the hold of an evil puppetmaster,” Kagami said with a dry laugh. “I suppose I owe you a favor or two.”

“I guess so,” Ladybug said, making her way towards the balcony before stopping and turning almost hesitantly. “…you’re friends with Adrien Agreste, right?”

“Friends, teammates, occasional arch-nemesis,” Kagami said offhandedly.

“What?”

“Nothing,” Kagami said, eying the lightsaber hilt that rested on her bookshelf. “Why do you ask?”

Ladybug opened her mouth, eyes glancing at the picture again as she seemed to think better of whatever she was going to say.

“…just curious,” Ladybug chuckled almost too easily. “I saved his life a few times; I-I guess we run in similar circles after all, huh?”

“It would seem so,” Kagami chuckled, stepping out on to the balcony with Ladybug.

“Are you two…involved?”

Kagami fought every urge in her body to roll her eyes. She wanted to tell Ladybug no, of course not. She had known Adrien for only a few months; it was absurd to form an attachment to someone so quickly. Maybe other girls tumbled head over heels for the first pretty face they saw, but Tsurugi Kagami was not quite so free with her feelings.

Instead, she said, “…I’m sorry, but it’s late and I have a fencing meet in the morning, so-”

“Right, of course,” Ladybug said, stepping up on to the balcony. “Good luck!”

With that, Ladybug latched on to the edge of a building and swung off into the night.

“Is there a person in this city who isn’t in love with Adrien Agreste?” Kagami grumbled, closing the door after Ladybug.


	12. Chapter 12

“That one says its made in Japan.” 

“It  _says_ it’s made in Japan,” Kagami muttered, tugging the baseball cap down over her eyes a little more. “Probably some manufactured garbage from Arizona or something.” 

“You sound like you’ve been burned by cheap American steel before,” Adrien chuckled, taking a sip of his soft drink as Kagami leaned over the glass display case, squinting suspiciously at the saber in the case. “Are you seriously going to carry a machete around with you wherever you go?” 

“After nearly being devoured by plant monsters?” Kagami asked, glancing over her shoulder. “I’m surprised you aren’t. I can carry it discreetly enough in my fencing foil bag after all.” 

“Not gonna do much good is all I’m saying,” Adrien shrugged, using Kagami’s head as an armrest as she eyeballed the items in the pawn shop display case. “Believe me, if someone could have crowbared Hawk Moth in the skull, they would have by now.” 

“I live in a city where superpowered crime constitutes a bigger problem than normal crime,” Kagami sighed, shaking her head. “I’m not going to be walking around unarmed, or with some useless bargain brand American shit for protection.” 

Adrien’s eyebrows cleared the rims of his sunglasses. “Did you just say shit?” 

“No,” Kagami said quickly, averting her eyes as she led them down the row of glass display cases. 

“You totally did!” Adrien said, mildly awestruck by how Kagami seemed to make such a dirty word seem almost…refined. “Are you even allowed?” 

“Are  _you_?” 

“No, but I’m a hot young rebel kid who flaunts society’s norms,” Adrien said, bumping Kagami’s hip. 

“You’re a hot young rebel that picks up other people’s trash and throws it away for them.” 

“Nothing hot about environmental destruction,” Adrien said seriously. “I’m glad we admit I’m hot though.” 

“You’re a model; of course you’re…objectively good looking,” Kagami said, coughing as she pretended to be interested in an overlarge sword that was doubtlessly from some anime. “To some people. Many people, I’d imagine.” 

Kagami coughed into her hand, tugging the collar of her jacket up to cover her blush. 

“O-Oh look, I believe there’s novelty cat artwork over in that corner!” 


	13. Chapter 13

“Is this really a good idea?”

“No but I, unlike you, have yet to exhaust my allotted amount of bad ideas,” Kagami said, swinging her saber experimentally. “Are you getting cold feet,  _koneko-chan?”_

Chat Noir narrowed his eyes in Kagami’s direction. “I don’t know what you just said-” 

“Probably because it hasn’t been said in an anime you’ve seen,” Kagami said with a teasing smile. 

“But I’m gonna assume it was a compliment,” Chat Noir said, swinging his baton. “Are you sure you wanna do this?” 

“I live in a city where being harassed by supervillians is a weekly hazard,” Kagami said, tank top riding up above the waist of her yoga pants as she stretched. A low, distant rumble of thunder suggested that this exercise insanity woul be called due to rain anyway. “I ought to be prepared to deal with whatever super-Paris can throw at me?” 

“If you say so,” Chat coughed, glancing out over the city so he wasn’t tempted to watch Kagami stretch. “You, uh…sure you don’t  want to wear anything more protective?” 

“I’m not going to be in padded fencing gear when I’m next set upon by Lord Butterfly’s goons,” Kagami said, standing up straight with a crack of her neck. “Besides, this is the most comfortable outfit I own.” 

“I can tell…” 

“Hm?” 

“So you want me to just…” Chat feebly poked his baton at her. 

“Come at me with all the ferocity you can muster,” Kagami said, bringing the blade of the saber down with a whoosh. “I need to be sure that the next time an akuma strikes, I am not caught flat-footed. You’re certain this isn’t going to harm you?” 

“Haven’t been seriously hurt by anything Hawky has thrown at me yet,” Chat chuckled, shrinking his staff until he could comfortably wield it in one hand. “Though he has the advantage of having completely broken superpowers. You on the other hand-” 

Chat had to bring his staff up to block a lunging thrust that sailed past his ear, trimming a few hairs off as Kagami retreated, just as quickly into her guard position. 

“I, on the other hand,  _what_?” Kagami said, raising an eyebrow. 

“I’m just saying,” Chat said, thrusting halfheartedly at Kagami’s stomach only to have his staff knocked to one side. “You and I are pretty evenly matched even without Plagg’s help.” 

“Your cheese gremlin may enhance your strength, but it hardly enhances your skill,” Kagami said, bringing her sword around and catching it on the backend of Chat’s staff. 

“Pretending to insult me isn’t going to ruffle my feathers, you know,” Chat said, catching the next three strikes on the flat of his staff. 

“Who’s— _mngh—_ pretending?” Kagami grunted, coming at Chat with an advancing series of slashes he seemed to bat away without any effort at all. An hour ago, she took three out of their five practice matches; now, it seemed, she couldn’t even get the tip of her blade to touch him. Even accounting for the heavier weapon, Chat now danced just out of her grasp effortlessly. A simple ring seemed to invalidate all her years of martial artistry; it was as though she were trying to stab a fruit fly that buzzed harmlessly out of reach. 

And more insulting still was the fact that not once did Adrien seriously try to fight back. 

Her composure slipped as a frustrated snarl spilled out of her mouth. She swung her sword as hard as she could, smashing into the side of Chat’s baton as a hideous, wrenching  _clang_ echoed over the city in time with a distant flash of lightning. 

The finest steel money could buy bent like a paperclip almost in half, absolutely useless against whatever it was that made up Adrien’s staff. 

The weapon clattered to the roof as it slipped out of Kagami’s grasp in time with the rumble of thunder. “I can’t…I can’t…” 

Breathing hard, Kagami fumbled for the railing, nearly falling as Chat moved forward to catch her. She reached out to shove him away, looking to preserve what remained of her dignity by standing under her own power. But nothing she could do seemed to affect him in the slightest. 

Kagami slid down the railing in a tired, shaky heap as fat drops of rain began coming down from the sky. 

“Come on; we need to get inside,” Chat said, tugging on Kagami’s wrist.

“You know something?” Kagami murmured staring at her bent weapon. “I was almost happy that you beat me when we first fought.” 

“Marinette is good at a lot of things, but I’m not so sure calling fencing matches is one of them,” Chat chuckled. 

“I thought…maybe this was someone I wouldn’t surpass so quickly,” Kagami laughed. “Funny, isn’t it…I ended up being the one surpassed in the end.” 

“You’re upset that you can’t keep up with a superhero?” Chat asked. 

“I…am upset that I can’t keep up with  _you_ ,” Kagami said, voice barely audible over the sound of rain hammering on the air conditioning unit. The pounding of rain on her forehead had stopped as Chat moved himself over her, using his back like an umbrella to catch the falling rain. 

“You can keep up with Adrien just fine,” Chat clucked, shaking his head. “The only time you can’t is when-” 

“You’re in danger,” Kagami said softly. 

Chat rocked back on his heels, angling his head down so he could see Kagami properly. She looked up at him through wet blue locks, eyes locking with his as she sat up off the railing. 

“Plagg, Claws Off.” Adrien blinked as he suddenly felt the wet sting of rain through his street clothes. The rain only intensified, but he couldn’t continue this conversation by standing above her, untouched by the elements as she slumped against the railing.

“You don’t need to protect me,” Adrien said softly. “I have Ladybug for that-” 

“And a fine job she seems to do of that,” Kagami said cooly. “It seems to me you’re the one protecting  _her_ most of the time!” 

Adrien almost lost his balance at the sudden outburst. “So?” 

“So how can you say you don’t need protection when you’re the one doing most of the protecting?!” Kagami said, leaning forward off the edge of the wall. “You put your life in danger almost every day f-for a girl who doesn’t seem to reciprocate!” 

“H-Hey, Ladybug’s gotten me out of plenty of tight spots!” Adrien snapped. “I got  _killed_ and Ladybug managed to bring me back!” 

“Killed, I expect, protecting your partner.” 

“Ladybug is the only one of us who can fix all the damage that akumas cause! IF she gets hit, we’re basically toast!” 

“And how long is it going to be before you take a hit she can’t fix?!” 

“So, what, you want to play street vigilante and fight crime with me?”

“No, I-” Kagami trailed off, mouth hanging open slightly as she took in the sight of Adrien, soaked through is t-shirt, sitting only feet away from her with a look that begged explanation. Underneath that invincible suit of magical armor was just a boy; no older than she was and just as frail when it got down to it. The only difference between them was that he put himself in danger for people he never met, clinging to the blind trust in his partner for whom he had sacrificed himself numerous times. 

Kagami’s throat bobbed almost painfully as she swallowed. “… _mamoritai.”_

And before Adrien could reply, she leaned forward, wet lips brushing against his as the storm only intensified around them. 


	14. Chapter 14

Adrien watched the water roll down the glass door in an effort to distract himself from the sound of the shower switching off and the glass door opening in the bathroom behind him. He was quickly running out of ways to distract himself from the fact that he was occupying the same space as a girl he had just finished kissing while she took a shower. **  
**

Despite the fact that the rain had plastered his clothes to his body, Adrien seemed unaware or unbothered by the chill. He was still trying to decide if this was, in fact, the second girl he had kissed or the first, since he had absolutely no recollection of the whole Dark Cupid incident until after Ladybug had kissed him.

“The, um…shower is free.” Adrien turned around to see Kagami toweling her hair, dressed in a pair of pink flannel pajamas with a floral print.

“Thanks, but I don’t exactly have anything dry to change into,” Adrien chuckled, scratching the back of his soggy head. For a few moments, the only sound was rain pelting the windowsil.

“I-”

“I should apologize,” Kagami said, cutting across Adrien, averting her gaze with a nervous chuckle. “I was…overcome with emotion. It’s been quite a long week and I’ve been a little…on edge. I shouldn’t have…taken liberties.”

“Taken liberties?” Adrien snorted. “Sorry, it just makes me sound like a Regency heroine being ravished by a swarthy Byronic hero.”

“Quite…” Kagami, looking thoroughly embarrassed with herself. “I will keep any…ravishment to an appropriate minimum. Wh-which is to say none at all

Adrien let a moment of silence linger, trying to find what he wanted to say. “…is that what you want?”

“It’s what’s best, isn’t it?” Kagami shrugged. “The sensible thing to do, anyway.”

Something inside Adrien prickled. “Do we have to do what’s sensible?”

“You’re a superhero,” Kagami said, looking back up at Adrien who looked wet, confused, and a little irritated.

“So that means I can’t have friends?” Adrien asked. “Or…a girlfriend?”

Kagami was thankful that her skin was already red from the steam and the hot water. “I…we’ve only known each other a few months. We can’t….I mean aren’t we supposed to be friends for a little longer?”

“Can’t we be friends that…kiss?” Adrien asked, almost hopefully. “Besides, I fell in love with Ladybug the day I met her so this is actually progress for me.”

“…are you really over her?” Kagami asked, biting the inside of her cheek. “Can you honestly say you don’t have feelings for her anymore?”

Adrien opened his mouth to respond, but seemed to trail off, lost in thought. Ladybug had been his first and only love for so long but…

Adrien took a step closer, licking the rainwater off his lips and tasting the remnants of Kagami’s strawberry flavored chaptstick. “I need to be,” Adrien said, hand flexing at his side. “I have to be…I really, really want to be.”

Adrien lingered a little out of Kagami’s reach, taking a deep breath.

“And honestly…I’m kinda tired of having to always do the smart thing?”

Kagami blinked, a clap of thunder echoing across the city.

“When…do you ever do the smart thing?” Kagami said, unable to keep the smile off her face as Adrien let out a twinkling burst of laughter that he quickly smothered, realizing Kagami’s parents could actually kill him if they caught him in their daughter’s room.

“Well, why start now?” Adrien with a hopeful smile. “And I still think you have one or two bad decisions left on your tab, so….”

_“Kagami-san?”_  Kagami’s blood ran cold as a soft knock came at the door. She turned to see the door open and Goto stick his head in. “ _I heard voices, is everything alright?”_

_“G-Goto, I can explain!”_ Kagami stammered, glancing back at Adrien only to see him gone and the door to the patio slightly ajar.

_“…miss, you will catch a cold if you leave the door open for very long,”_ Goto said, shaking his head as he retreated. “ _Goodnight, miss.”_

Goto closed the door behind him and Kagami let out a deep sigh of relief, padding over to the door and sticking her head out. “Adrien? Adrien are you out he-mmph!”

For all her years of training her reflexes to be as sharp as a knife, Kagami was thoroughly unprepared for Chat Noir swooping down off the ledge of the roof, kissing her briefly on the lips, and backflipping off the railing with a wink and a small salute.

“See you in class tomorrow~”

Kagami actually stood in the rain for a full minute, staring at the little black dot retreating over the city until her pajamas were completely soaked and her cheeks ached from smiling.


	15. Chapter 15

“You sure you’re ready for this?” ****

“You act like we’re going to face a firing squad,” Kagami clucked, straightening the collar of Adrien’s shirt. “What are you so uptight?”

“You know I’m…kinda popular, right?”

“You don’t need to convince me to date you; you did that already,” Kagami sighed shaking her head as Adrien refused to step out from around the corner.

“I seem to attract, shall we say, aggressive attention from girls my age,” Adrien laughed somewhat airily, scanning the courtyard. “Chloe, Lila-mmph!”

Adrien stopped his frantic scanning as Kagami stood up on her tiptoes, kissing him firmly on the lips mostly as a ploy to shut him up.

“I’m not scared of your fan club,” Kagami said, leaning back with a small smirk. “I am the president, after all.”

“P-President?” Adrien stammered.

“President, First Lady, Executor General,” Kagami shrugged, threading her arm through the crook of Adrien’s elbow. “I wear a lot of hats…but I can’t abide by a boyfriend too afraid to hold my hand in public.”

Adrien sighed, threading his hand through hers as he stepped out from behind the pillar. “Alright; don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Kagami had never been on the receiving end of two, volcanic death glares in her life.

Chloe had not blinked once since she walked in, holding Adrien’s hand. Lila was much less obvious in her annoyance, choosing to shoot cold looks in Kagami’s direction until Kagami glanced at her. Her response to both was to simply raise an eyebrow and hold their gaze until they chose to look away. Alya seemed torn between wanting to be offended on Marinette’s behalf and offended at herself for even considering it.

Kagami only wished Marinette would look at her.

She could have born the scorn, derision, or outright hatred more than the absence of any sort of acknowledgement from Marinette since the pair of them walked into the room. If Adrien was oblivious to Marinette’s dogged determination not to look in their direction, the way she sat tense and tight like she was restraining something with all of her strength, then Kagami was acutely aware of the shift in energy. It was like a bowstring hung taunt, ready to let an arrow loose. It was the one blight on an otherwise perfect day, and Kagami found herself wishing Marinette would be as angry as Chloe and Lila seemed to be.  


	16. Chapter 16

There was something about Gabriel Agreste that Kagami just frankly didn’t like. **  
**

Perhaps it was the fact that she had grown up surrounded by rich society assholes her entire life and knew how to spot one at a glance. Perhaps it was the way he never seemed to say anything worthwhile, prattling on about typical pleasantries with her parents over coffee. Perhaps it was the way he never seemed to genuinely smile with anything more than his lips or the way he never looked directly at her when he addressed her.

Perhaps it was the fact that he had a naggingly familiar voice that she couldn’t quite place.

“Adrien tells me you’re part of the track team,” Gabriel said, causing a tingle of apprehension to snake its way up Kagami’s spine.

“Yes, Mr. Agreste,” Kagami nodded, ignoring the faint warning bells going off in her mind. “Sprints, mostly, but I needed to pick up javelin as well since we’re shorthanded this year.”

“Kagami might make it to the olympics in more than just fencing,” Tomoko mentioned off-handedly, never passing up a chance to praise her daughter’s attributes in front of others. It was rare that her mother had more than criticism for her, so Kagami learned to take what little victories she could.

“Athletic excellence has been a part of our family since the late-Sengoku period,” Tomoko continued, stirring her coffee and oblivious to the fact that Kagami was mouthing along with her speech. “My great-great grandfather was credited as being one of the most able archers in Lord Takeda’s service-”

Adrien managed to disguise a snort of laughter as a cough, clearing his throat and shooting an apologetic look at his father whose cold gaze turned on him the moment he sensed any kind of disturbance. “S-Sorry, choked on a biscotti crumb.”

Perhaps it was the way he seemed to view any imperfection, even in his own son, with such incredible scorn. It was a look she had born all too often and she couldn’t say she cared for it very much, much less when Adrien was on the receiving end of it.

In truth, there wasn’t much to like about Gabriel Agreste. The fact that her mother found his company pleasant was a warning sign that Adrien had downplayed the type of pill his father was. Still, Kagami was used to moving in the realm of high society; used to smiling and nodding and being as unobtrusive as possible while her elders conversed. But she had never been unnerved by anyone like she was by Gabriel for reasons she couldn’t quite place.

She didn’t truly, completely understand why she didn’t like Adrien’s father until she woke at two in the morning, sweating, wide-eyed, as she suddenly knew exactly where she had heard his voice before.


	17. Chapter 17

“I need to speak with Ladybug.”

Alya glanced up from her phone to see Kagami leaning down from the bleachers behind her, eyes hard and insistent. She had been nervous when Kagami slid behind her and Marinette in the bleachers overlooking the basketball game, but Kagami had said nothing until Marinette had risen to go to the bathroom.

“Do I look like I have Ladybug’s phone number?” Alya said, raising an eyebrow.

“You run a blog dedicated to her; I need you to figure out some way to speak to her,” Kagami murmured. “Tell her it’s urgent; tell her that I need to speak with-”

The referee blew the whistle, signaling the end of the game. Kagami rose, applauding politely with a suddenly beaming smile as Adrien turned, wiping the sweat from his brow and waving at her.

“It’s about Adrien,” Kagami said, turning to head down the stairs as Marinette passed, frowning at Kagami’s back. She tried to keep the unease off her face as she indulged Adrien with a soft peck on his somewhat sweaty cheek as he stepped off the court.

“What was that about?” Marinette asked.

* * *

The soft rapping at Kagami’s door came at half past nine and jarred her out of her nap. Clutching her saber to her chest, Kagami crept towards the door.

“You called?” Kagami let out a breath as a familiar voice came through the other side of the locked door. Kagami unbuttoned the latch, opening the door to see an irritated looking Ladybug standing on her balcony, arms crossed and almost scowling at Kagami.

“Thank God it’s you; come in,” Kagami said.

“I’ll stay out here, thanks,” Ladybug said somewhat frostily.

“…have it your way,” Kagami said, stepping out into the chilly evening. The air was almost metallic with unreleased tension, even as Kagami rested her sword on the balcony. “Your friend told you what I wanted?”

“You didn’t give her a lot to go on, so I figured I would come here my-”

“It’s about Hawkmoth,” Kagami said, unable to leash her secret any longer. “Adrien’s father is Hawkmoth.”

Ladybug raised an eyebrow. “…seriously? That’s what you wanted to talk to me about.”

“It sounds far-fetched, I know-”

“We’ve already ruled Gabriel Agreste out as a suspect,” Ladybug sighed, rubbing her temples. “He was akumitized a few months back, if you hadn’t noticed.”

“Then he has some way to akumitize himself or…or he lost control of his powers or…” Kagami had been trying to unravel the contradiction almost all day. “I don’t know, but he must have akumitized himself!”

Ladybug let out a sharp bark of laughter. “Okay, Ms. Miraculous-expert, what evidence do you have that somehow slipped both my and Chat’s notice?”

“…it’s his voice,” Kagami said. “He sounds identical to Hawkmoth…there’s no mistaking it.”

“That can’t be the best you got,” Ladybug said, folding her arms. “Seriously? You want me to arrest Adrien’s father based on the fact that their voices kinda sound alike?”

“They don’t sound alike; they are alike!” Kagami snapped.

“Oh really? You’ve heard Hawkmoth speak, have you?”

“…you don’t know?” Kagami blinked. “When he…changes you, he speaks to you.”

Ladybug’s icy expression seemed to thaw as Kagami tilted her chin up in defiance of the trepidation she felt. “In your head…he promises you the power to make your hurts stop. It is a…hard offer to resist.”

“So why did you call me?” Ladybug said. “Couldn’t you tell Chat this?”

“…I have my reasons not to,” Kagami said. “But please, you have to do something-”

“Look, if you have a problem with your boyfriend’s father, take it up with him,” Ladybug snapped. “We have better things to do than follow every wild goose chase brought to us so if you want to convince me, you’re going to have to do a little more than just give me a hunch.”

Kagami’s lips mirrored Ladybug’s scowl. “…fine.”

Without waiting for another word, Kagami spun on her heel, disappearing into the house and slamming the door behind her. It wasn’t until the blinds slid down, covering the glass window that Ladybug felt a twinge of regret.


	18. Chapter 18

“Down the hall and to the left; can’t miss it.” **  
**

“Won’t be long,” Kagami said, closing the door behind her as she padded as softly as she could down the hallway, hooking right and continuing deeper inside the Agreste estate.

She knew how telling Adrien about his father would have played out. Despite Gabriel Agreste’s many many many many many shortcomings as both a father and general human being, it was hard for a child to believe that their parent was capable of outright evil. Which is why Kagami wanted cold hard proof to show him and force Ladybug to take action. If she didn’t want to take her at her word, then Kagami would have to provide something that proved what she knew to be true.

Moving silently, she carefully opened the door, scanning the cold, empty office. Gabriel’s study was a reflection of the man himself; an orderly, icy abode dominated by a portrait of Adrien’s mother wreathed in celestial light. A man who went to extensive lengths to make his personal space the reflection of his personality would have some trappings of his alter ego laying around. Closing the door behind her, Kagami made a beeline for his desk. Careful not to disturb the pile of sketches on top, she carefully tried each drawer, dismayed that they appeared to be either locked or filled with nothing special.

Feeling along the bookcase for any hidden latches, buttons, or levers, her fingers brushed across a purple peacock shaped pin, knocking it over and off the shelf into Kagami’s waiting hand. As she was about to replace it, the sound of a lock turning sent her diving under the desk, curling into a tight ball as a pair of footsteps entered the room.

“Yes, I mean all my meetings,” Gabriel said, footsteps inching closer to the wall painting. “An emergency has come up; I’m taking the rest of the day off.”

A click followed by a whirring of gears filled the office. Footsteps echoed down a hallway before another click plunged the room into silence again.

Kagami stood up, still clutching the pin as she glanced around for any sign of Gabriel or where he had gone. Glancing at her watch, she swore under her breath, inching out of the room and tiptoeing quietly down the hallway back towards Adrien’s room.

“I was about to send the search party out,” Adrien chuckled, hitting the play button as Kagami flopped down on the couch beside him.

“Sorry,” Kagami said, leaning in and kissing his cheek. “Girl stuff,  you know.”

“Sure, I-” Adrien turned to give her a kiss, freezing with his lips puckered as his eyes zeroed in on Kagami’s shoulder. “Um…Kagami? What’s…that?”

Kagami glanced down, expecting to see a piece of plaster or some other incriminating piece of evidence that she had trifled with his father’s study. Instead, she saw a small, blue, peacock looking creature peeking out from behind her hair.

“Are you my new mom?” The creature asked, sniffling pitifully as it looked up at her with watery blue eyes.

“Um…g-girl stuff?”


	19. Chapter 19

“…I’m gonna need you to run that by me again.” **  
**

Kagami pinched the bridge of her nose, taking a deep breath in as a hysterical creature tugged at the corners of her hair.

“I-I’m not supposed to be outside my pin,” the peacock whimpered. “Gabe gets mad at me if I get out of my pin…you really need to put me back now before he catches you.”

“You just happened to be poking around my dad’s office and just happened to stumble upon a Miraculous?” Adrien asked, folding his arms.

“It was…near a picture of your mother,” Kagami said carefully, ignoring the tugging of the creature on her hair. “I went to admire it and your father quite nearly walked in on me. I palmed it when I hid and just…ran before he could spot me.”

“Are you here to help Gabe with his plan?” The kwami said hopefully. “He told me he was gonna bring Emmie back somehow but I had to be quiet and stay in the pin. Can I come out now? Did he-”

“What…what plan?!” Adrien interrupted. “How does any of this-”

A distant explosion rocked the city as a plume of smoke rose over the skyline. Kagami wondered how long it would be before Hawkmoth set his latest half-baked excuse of a plan into motion, but it seemed to shake Adrien out of his line of questioning, even for a moment.

“I…”

“Go,” Kagami said, nodding out over the city. “We’ll talk when you get back.”

Adrien glanced between Kagami and Plagg and after another reassuring nod from Kagami, he stepped out onto the balcony and dove over the edge, green light enveloping him as he did.

Kagami waited until she saw Chat Noir rise over the city before turning back to the creature.

“What was your name again?”


	20. Chapter 20

“I’m not mad; I’m just disappointed.” 

“Thank you  _father_ ,” Paon sighed, tucking a blue and purple feather behind her ear as she leaned against the side of an air-conditioning unit. Ladybug had vanished after the battle, a consequence of her powers it seemed, but Chat had managed to drag her up to the Notre Dame bell tower. “In all honesty, you cannot be surprised.” 

“I’m not surprised,” Chat said, folding his arms “I’m just-”

“Disappointed?” 

“Well what did you expect?!” Chat spluttered. “You  _stole_ a pin from my dad’s office-” 

“Which happened to be an artifact of magical power that, apparently, grants the wearer limited precognition,” Paon said, raising an eyebrow. “Ever ponder why he happened to have a Miraculous sitting around?” 

“I’m still trying to ponder how I’m  _apparently_ dating a jewel thief!” 

“Dramatic,” Paon clucked. 

“I think I have the right to be!” Chat snapped. “You can’t just use any Miraculous you find laying around?” 

“Mmhmm…and how did you come about the Cat Miraculous again?” 

“…n-not the point!” Chat stammered, tail swishing behind him. 

“So you’re saying I didn’t help today?” 

“…no, that surveillance thing you did was pretty slick, but-!” 

Chat trailed off as Paon put one hand on his chest and one hand on the back of his head, tilting it down so she could properly look at her. “Do you honestly expect me to do nothing while you put yourself in danger on a weekly basis?” 

Chat opened his mouth to protest but Paon silenced him with her gloved fingertips against his lips. “What am I supposed to do? Sit at home and wonder if this is the time when Ladybug isn’t going to be able to protect you?” 

“What about  _you_?” Chat said. “Kagami, I know I play up this whole suave, cool superhero thing-” 

“I promise you, you do not.” 

“-but as you’ve said  _many_ times now, this job is dangerous,” Chat finished, hands resting on her shoulders. “I can’t protect you  _and_ Ladybug at the same time.” 

“Does it ever occur to you that you don’t have to protect everyone?” Paon asked, hand running down the side of his cheek. “We’re all in danger; everyone in this city until that madman is stopped. At least now…now I have the ability to protect myself, and you.” 

Chat bit his lip, searching for some hole in Paon’s logic he could use to dissuade her. 

“Someone has to watch your back,” Paon murmured, yanking Chat’s tail a little to tug him out of his silence. “Might as well be me.” 

“And my father?” 

“Oh,” Paon said, glancing back in the direction of Adrien’s house. “I don’t think he will be too much of a problem.”


	21. Chapter 21

“Where is it?!” 

Paon leaned against the side of the window, watching Adrien’s father tilt the bookcase on its front and waited for him to notice her.

“Nooroo!” Gabriel snapped, prompting a diminutive little kwami to flutter out of his pocket. “What did you do with it?!” 

“I-I don’t know where it could have gone!” Nooroo insisted, looking around helplessly. “It was sitting right there and-”

“Of  _course_ it was sitting right there!” Gabriel snapped. “And unless it sprouted legs and wandered off, someone must have-”

“Taken it?” 

His head snapped around, hair disheveled and wild gaze falling on her shadowed form. She was grateful that her costume had a hood that carefully concealed the bulk of her features when drawn up over her eyes; she couldn’t risk the off-chance that Gabriel might deduce her identity…though given the fact that he lived with one of his arch enemies, that seemed unlikely.

His expression cycled between alarm, confusion, recognition, and then cold, burning anger as he realized what he was looking at.

“Nooroo-”

“I-I need time to recharge,” the butterfly said, fluttering off to one side as Paon shifted her weight so that she stood more in the cold, fluorescent light of the office. 

“Good to know,” Paon said thoughtfully, voice dipping a pitch and using as little inflection as she could. “It seems even Hawkmoth has his limitations.” 

“I don’t know who you are, or how you managed to slip into my house,” Gabriel started, lips trembling in barely concealed anger. “But-” 

“Spare me,” Paon said, watching the crease in his forehead deepen. “I didn’t come here to be scolded by a man who wears a butterfly costume.” 

“No, you just returned to the scene of the crime to  _gloat_ over your theft,” Gabriel spat. 

“Rich, coming from a man who spends his days trying to steal what doesn’t belong to him,” Paon said examining the back of her gloves. “But as I already said, I’ve heard quite enough of you already.  _You_ are going to listen to  _me_ now.” 

Paon drew herself up to her full height, letting the peacock’s power flow through her. She knew she didn’t have long before Adrien returned home and wondered where she was; she would need to be quick.

“I know who you are,” Paon said, deliberately as she watched Adrien’s father fumble for some kind of come back. “Even before seeing you with your little sidekick right now, I knew who you were. And the only reason I haven’t ripped your Miraculous off your body is because I’ve recently decided that you may deserve a chance to stop this foolishness before you spend the rest of your life in an asylum for the criminally insane.” 

“If you know who I am, then you know why I simply can’t do that,” Gabriel said, crossing his arms, eyes flitting to the portrait of Adrien’s mother. 

“…I see.” 

“You  _don’t_ see,” Gabriel spat. “You cannot have the  _slightest_ idea of what it’s like to lose someone you-” 

“Is that how you justify it?” Paon said, cocking her head to one side. “That your pain, your heartbreak, somehow justifies the suffering you’ve caused? That your life is worth more than the lives you ruin?” 

Silence hung in the air as Paon paced around the edge of the office.

“I’m here to make a deal with you,” Paon said softly. “You will desist in this absurd course of action. There will be  _no_ further akuma attacks. You will stop making other people responsible for your pain and suffering and try and cope like an ordinary person.” 

She could practically feel his eyes boring white-hot holes into the back of her head as she looked up at the portrait of Adrien’s mother.

“If I don’t?” Gabriel said, voice quavering with barely concealed rage. 

“Then we are at war,” Paon said without turning to face Gabriel . “And I shall do my very best to see you imprisoned for the rest of your life.”

“And what’s to stop me from calling the police?” Gabriel asked, a small hint of triumph slipping into his voice. 

“And tell them…what?” Paon asked. “That a stranger stole your magical artifact? Pity that this seems to be the one place in this house without video surveillance…though it wouldn’t do for anyone to find out what you do in your spare time.” 

There was silence again, punctuated by the ticking of the clock until Paon remembered something.

“I will be watching you,” Paon said, turning to face an almost purple-faced Gabriel. “And if  _any_ repercussions are taken against your family or your employees, I will be on top of you before you can move. If you take this anger out on your son or your secretary, I shall hear of it. If you try and leave Paris, I shall hear of it. You know better than I the capabilities of the peacock’s power; and you know there’s no way to-”

Gabriel’s paperweight sailed at her head with such terrifying velocity that, even with her enhanced reflexes, Paon found it hard to duck out of the way in time. The crystalline apple ripped through the portrait of Adrien’s mother, caving in her skull and leaving a yawning hole looking into the dimly lit room behind her.

Instantly, Gabriel seemed to forget that he was being threatened and ran over, pushing Paon out of the way as he feebly tried to put the portrait back together. Mumbling  _no, no no_ under his breath as Paon slipped into the night. She spared him one final glance, wondering what kind of love would drive a man to abandon his humanity in search of some kind of reunion.

But she supposed that Gabriel Agreste, of all people, would find a way to turn love into a vice.


	22. Chapter 22

“Cold out, isn’t it?” 

Chat shrugged as Paon slid up beside him, raising his arm so she could link hers as they leaned on the edge of the rooftop. 

“Quiet too,” Paon continued, looking down over the city. “No akuma attacks in, how long now?” 

“Two weeks,” Chat said, biting his lip. “Hasn’t been this quiet since…God, I can’t even remember.” 

“You don’t suppose he’s…gone, do you?” Paon asked, feigning innocence. 

“Maybe,” Chat said, turning with a lopsided grin. “Saw you coming and decided to hoof it.” 

“Three teenagers are just one too many to handle,” Paon chuckled. “Though I’m glad you haven’t given up your weeknight dates.” 

“Ladybug should be here soon,” Chat said, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. “She would have met you sooner, but…well, we wanted to talk first.” 

“About me,” Paon said. 

“…yeah,” Chat coughed. “You have to understand that it’s just been us for so long that she is—was—a little skeptical about taking someone on full time.” 

“You vouched for me then?” 

“I told her you were someone we could count on,” Chat said, patting her arm. “Someone who wants to…protect us.” 

Paon’s eyes narrowed at her boyfriend whose lips curled into a decidedly cattish smirk. 

“I don’t like that smile,” Paon said. 

“I’ve been googling that thing you said before  _totally_ swooning over me that night in the rain,” Chat said, leaning in on the palms of his hands. “ _Mamoritai.”_

_“_ Pieced that out, did you?” Paon coughed, glad her hood hid her warming cheeks. 

“You don’t have to be so roundabout, my little love-bird,” Chat purred, lips brushing her cheek as she squirmed away. “If you wanted to confess your undying love to me, you should have said something.” 

“And if I wanted to, I would have,” Paon said, rubbing her arm a little sheepishly. “But…well, there are some phrases that don’t work as well in French.” 

Her blue eyes glinted under her hood as she looked back up at him. It seemed bizarre to her that she had been in Paris less than a year and already had been turned into an akuma, threatened Hawkmoth, sword-fought and kissed Chat Noir on the same evening. All because she showed up and challenged the first and best fencer she could. 

“I want to protect you,” Paon said. “It’s not the most accurate translation; the poetry gets lost somewhat. I…don’t just mean physically; from harm. I mean…”

The downside of speaking five different languages was that the words she wanted to use were all in languages Adrien didn’t understand. The grand, important things she wanted to say were in German, in Spanish, in Japanese. But French, somewhat ironically, seemed to be ill-suited to convey the depth of her feeling. 

“…I want to protect your happiness,” Paon said, fingers taking and squeezing his. “I want to protect your pretty smile, and be the reason for it as often as possible.” 

Paon leaned up on her tiptoes, pressing her lips briefly against his, savoring the warmth of his presence and the taste of his mouth for a moment. Soon, Ladybug would be there and the three of them would face whatever came next for the heroes of Paris. She had no illusions that Gabriel would stop misbehaving and when he got over his little temper tantrum, she would have to fight as Adrien and Ladybug had to fight in the past. 

But for the moment, she could content herself with the quiet affection that passed between them; one that needed no words to be understood. 

“Man…” Chat said, breaking the kiss with a breathless chuckle. “How long is my girlfriend going to be smoother than me?” 

“Every day,” Paon chuckled, pecking him on the nose. “Until you like it.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm crossposting this from my writing blog (siderealscribblings.tumblr.com) now that my self-imposed Adrimi April is over. Each chapter was written in roughly half an hour so apologies if this is unpolished!


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